Trade

The upcoming Olympic break will give every team in the NHL a chance to pause, reflect, and evaluate what they need to do to improve in the future. More importantly, it will allow them to look at potential trade targets to finish off their season. More than most, the defending Stanley Cup champions cannot relax and rest on their laurels; they have a brutal Western Conference to survive before they can even start thinking about a return to the post-season and a chance to defend their title. Fans betting on NHL know the team have not been performing lately and look as though they need fresh blood and some fine-tuning, although it would make no sense for them to make wholes...

The Islanders have built the core of their young team through the NHL Entry Draft and this year they looked to continue that trend. GM Garth Snow added one NHL ready player on draft day this year, Cal Clutterbuck. Clutterbuck was not drafted though, he was acquired through a trade with the Minnesota Wild. (Photo Credit: sportsnet.ca)

Not only was it confirmed by ESPN's Pierre LeBrun that forward Danny Briere would be bought out, but conflicting reports about goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov's security with the team surfaced, as well as trade rumors involving Anaheim's Bobby Ryan and Los Angeles' Jonathan Bernier also came to the forefront.

Talk about a crazy day.

All of this coming on the heels of a reported deal struck with the New York Islanders to acquire their former captain Mark Streit. Streit signed a bloated four year pact worth a grand total of $22 million. Following that deal, it signaled change. There is writing on the wall...but for whom?

If, for example, both Briere and Bryzgalov are bought out, that unlocks about $12 million in cap space. The Flyers are currently above the new cap ceiling of $64 million by $7 million. These moves would not afford a ton of room, but it would at least be something.

The Flyers have made their first move of the off season, acquiring a defenseman from a division rival.

They have traded forward Shane Harper along with a fourth round pick in the 2014 amateur draft to New York Islanders for 35-year-old defenseman Mark Streit. Streit was the captain of the Islanders team the last two years.

Streit is going to be a free agent come July 5 but they now own his rights until then and have the opportunity to re-sign him. General manager Paul Holmgren said that Streit was one of the blueliners on his radar at the July 5 free agency period.

"(Tlusty) is a player who has a better chance to flourish in a smaller market," Hurricanes general manager Rutherford said in 2009. "It takes a certain type of character to flourish in Toronto. Some guys like it, some guys don't. It's something (Burke) and I talked about when we were making this deal."

The Maple Leafs gave Tlusty little time to develop - trading the Czech forward before his 22nd birthday - having played 74 games for the buds over a span of three ...

The Toronto Maple Leafs have shipped defenseman Luke Schenn to the Philadelphia Flyers for left-winger James van Riemsdyk.

The trade isn’t a big surprise considering van Riemsdyk has been on the market since the trade deadline. At that time, it was believed the Leafs would have to ship Schenn as well as additional assets to land the 22-year-old forward, but things have changed, and the Flyers may be looking to acquire Bobby Ryan in his place.

Van Riemsdyk is by no means a punishing forward, despite his 6-foot-3, 190-pound frame, but he injects some skill into the Leafs’ lineup and should find a spot on the top-six unit. The move could also light a fire under Nikola...